mythology paper: you can just choose any topic of the 13?

Guidelines for Paper #1
Due:
November 27
Minimum Length
: 4-6 pages
Format
: Margins: 1” (top and bottom), 1.25” (left and right margin), Double Spaced
Font
: New Times Roman
Font
Size
: 12
Please remain on topic and do not simply summarize the story.  
Above all, DO NOT PLAGIARIZE.  
For questions about Montclair State University policy on plagiarism, consult the
Student Conduct and
Community Standards
web site:
http://www.montclair.edu/DeanStudents/judicial/academic.html
.
1.   Compare and contrast the story of the creation in Hesiod’s
Theogony
with one of the accounts of creation
listed below.  When comparing and contrasting the two, consider the following questions: What are the
forces that bring about creation in the first place? Are there different stages to creation or is it a single
event?  How does each account attempt to explain the creation of the physical universe?  What role does
god or more that one god play in the creation?  Are gods themselves created?  In each account of creation,
when do humans appear and what is humanity’s role in the universe?  Generally, how do these accounts of
creation reflect the interests and values of the culture from from which they are derived?
Accounts of Creations
Enuma Elish
two translations
http://www.crivoice.org/enumaelish.html
http://jewishchristianlit.com/Resources/Ane/enumaA.html
Genesis (see Harris and Platzner, p. 73-75)
http://www.cs.williams.edu/~lindsey/myths/myths_15.html
Native American
two collections of stories
http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/creation.myths.html  
http://members.cox.net/academia/origins.html
Egyptian
http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptcreation.html
Norse
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/creation.html
Please do not simply summarize the stories, but provide your own analysis.  Your paper should have an
introduction with a clearly stated theme and a conclusion.  
2.   Compare and contrast one Greek god or goddess with one or more of the gods listed below.  You should
consider not only what the deities have in common, but also where their characteristics diverge. Relate at
least one story about each god and explain how that story is significant.  Consider how these stories and the
gods they describe reflect the culture in which they were produced.

Aphrodite:Ishtar, Inanna, Kama, Isis, Frigg
Apollo: Shamash
Ares:  Tyr, The Morrigan, Durga
Artemis: Cernunnos, Lahar, Nanna
Athena: Enki
Demeter: Freyr and Freyja, Telepinu, Ashnan, Nerthus
Dionysos:
Hades: Hel, Ereshkigal, Yama
Hera: Frigg, Hathor, Devi
Hermes: Loki, Seth
Persephone: Ereshkigal,
Poseidon: Mananna mac Lir,
Zeus:  Enlil, Marduk, Odin, Thor, Ra, Sucellus
3.   Before the arrival of the Indo-Europeans, archeology suggests that a Great Goddess was widely worshiped.
What are the important characteristics and functions of the Great Goddess? Explain how these
characteristics or functions are distributed among the Olympian Goddesses we have studied.
4.   We have seen several examples of  “trickster” gods in the myth that we have examined.  Discuss at least two
figures that can legitimately be considered tricksters.  How do these figures display their ingenuity?  Are
they portrayed positively or negatively by our sources?  Did their dishonesty present any ethical dilemma
for the Greeks?
5.   One fundamental distinction in Greek religion is that between the chthonic gods within the earth and the
Olympians that rule above and upon the surface of the earth. Who are the principal chthonic gods and what
is their character as revealed in the myths? What are the functions of these gods and how do they differ from
the other gods?
6.   There are numerous mother figures in Greek myths. Discuss at least three myths in which a mother figure
plays an important role. Are mother portrayed in a consistent manner? What aspects of motherhood are
emphasized the myths? Do the myths offer examples of both good and bad mothers?
7.   What is the Heroic Code that the heroes in the
Iliad
? live by? Does this code apply equally to Achilles and
Hector, even though one is an aggressor and the other a defender?
8.   How do the gods in the
Iliad
feel about the humans? To what extent do they intervene in human events?
How seriously do they take human affairs? What does the Iliad suggest are the fundamental differences
between the life led by gods and mortals?
9.   Goddesses play extremely important role in Odysseus's return home. Specify how the hero is aided or
hindered in his quest to go home by Athene, Circe, Calypso, Leukothea. What the hero learns from important
lessons does Odysseus learn from these goddesses? How would you describe Odysseus's relationship with
women in general?
10. Discuss the similarities and differences between tragic and epic heroes. What heroic qualities do they share?
Do they confront the same challenges?  In what sense is Achilles the first “tragic hero?” Using examples from
your readings, explain in what sense each of type of hero achieves success or failure.
11. Describe Dionysus's relation to the origin of Greek tragedy. Why do you suppose this particular god, with his
passion and unpredictability, became the inspirer of Athenian drama? Given that most surviving Greek plays do
not feature the wine god as a major character, why are his nature and spirit relevant to the tragic vision?